This invention relates to the art of agricultural machinery, and more particularly to a new and improved mowing machine.
One area of use of the present invention is mowing grass and other foliage in orchards although the principles of the invention can be variously applied. When trees were planted in orchards with relatively larger spaces between trees as compared to present-day practice, mowing grass in the orchard was accomplished by a mower centered behind a tractor and travelling in a criss-cross pattern along the rows and perpendicular to the rows. With the present practice of closer planting, both in the row and between the row, it now is possible to mow only in a direction along the row.
As a result, mowing machines have been developed which are connected to the pulling tractor in an offset manner in an attempt to mow as close as possible to tree trunks, fence posts, and the like. Among the important factors to be considered in the design of such machines are the need to mow as close as possible to a tree trunk while at the same time preventing damage to the trunk by the mower blade, relatively high speed travel of the machine, capability of handling tree trunks, fence posts and the like of different sizes, locations and conditions, and efficient machine operation combined with simplicity of construction.